► ‘Non-religious’ say they celebrate Christmas, more Catholic respondents see holiday as religious
► Nearly two-thirds of poll respondents say they enjoy Christmas, but are glad when it’s over
ST. LEO, FL – While most Americans plan to celebrate Christmas in 2021, the percentage is down from 2019, pre-COVID-19 pandemic, a new Saint Leo University Polling Institute (polls.saintleo.edu) survey shows. And while they say they will celebrate the holiday, nearly two-thirds of poll respondents say they are usually glad when the holiday is over.
The Saint Leo University poll was conducted online, October 17-23, among 1,000 total respondents nationally. The resulting margin of error for the results is 3.0 percentage points in either direction. In Florida, where Saint Leo’s residential campus is located, 500 additional people were polled. The margin of error for the responses is plus or minus 4.5 percentage points.
Most Americans surveyed, 79.5 percent, say they plan to celebrate Christmas in 2021, which is down from 88.9 percent in 2019. “We cannot discount the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, though, as a strong possibility for the drastic decrease in the number who will celebrate Christmas this year compared to 2019,” said Dr. Marc Pugliese, associate dean of Saint Leo’s College of Arts and Sciences. “Traveling and in-person gatherings are simply going to be less than before the pandemic.”
The nature of the holiday also was explored in the Saint Leo poll and 39.9 percent of Americans say they view Christmas as mostly or all cultural while 20.8 percent see the holiday as mostly or all religious. Some see Christmas as evenly cultural and religious.
In 2017, 2019, and 2021, poll respondents who celebrate Christmas were asked if they viewed Christmas as all cultural, mostly cultural, evenly cultural and religious, mostly religious or all religious. Results are presented in the following table.
| Cultural / Religious? | National 2017 – % | Florida 2017 – % | National 2019 – % | Florida 2019 – % | National 2021 – % |
Florida 2021 – % |
| All cultural | 10.2 | 11.7 | 12.9 | 13.5 | 15.5 | 19.0 |
| Mostly cultural | 32.9 | 31.4 | 26.7 | 23.1 | 24.4 | 22.4 |
| Total all / mostly cultural | 43.1 | 43.1 | 39.6 | 36.5 | 39.9 | 41.5 |
| Evenly cultural and religious | 31.3 | 34.3 | 34.6 | 38.3 | 32.5 | 31.5 |
| Mostly religious | 11.4 | 9.0 | 13.7 | 12.3 | 13.1 | 12.2 |
| All religious | 3.9 | 3.6 | 5.4 | 6.5 | 7.7 | 7.6 |
| Total all / mostly religious | 15.3 | 12.6 | 19.1 | 18.8 | 20.8 | 20.8 |
| None of these | 6.3 | 5.5 | 4.5 | 4.9 | 4.9 | 5.1 |
| Unsure | 4.0 | 4.5 | 2.1 | 1.3 | 2.0 | 2.2 |
“The percentages who report seeing Christmas as mostly or all cultural was basically the same in 2021 and 2019, with only a slight increase in 2021 [39.9 percent in 2021 vs. 39.6 percent in 2019], and the percentages who report seeing Christmas as mostly or entirely religious was practically the same in 2021 and 2019, with a slight increase in 2021 [20.8 percent in 2021 vs. 19.1 percent in 2019],” said Pugliese, who also is an associate professor of religion and theology. “Many people, including those who self-identify as ‘non-religious,’ continue to celebrate Christmas, and Christmas is increasingly being viewed as more of a cultural holiday than a religious one, especially with younger people.”
Across age groups, poll respondents nationally who view Christmas as mostly or entirely religious are 27 percent for ages 65 and older; 23.5 percent for ages 45-64; and 17.3 percent for ages 18-44. Similarly, the percentages of those who regard Christmas as mostly or entirely cultural by age are: 31.9 percent for ages 65 and older, 32 percent for ages 45-64, and 47.3 percent for ages 18-44, Pugliese noted.
Examining the question by religion, a large percentage of Catholic poll respondents say they view Christmas as a religious holiday. Dr. Stephen Okey, associate professor of religion and theology, said he is “gratified to see that Catholics are the most likely to view Christmas as a religious holiday [at 64.7 percent].”
This compares to 29.8 percent of other Christian poll respondents, who say they think it is a religious observance, 15.1 percent of those of other religions, and 4.3 percent of those who say they are of no religious faith.
Those who think the holiday is secular are 39.5 percent of Catholic respondents; 30.1 of other Christians; 60.3 percent of other religions, and 60.3 percent of those who say they are not members of a religion. And those who think the holiday is both cultural and religious include 20.2 percent of Catholic respondents; 35.5 percent of respondents of other Christian faiths; 19.2 percent of those of other religions; and 21.3 percent of respondents who say they who say they belong to no religion.
“The decline in viewing Christmas as religious corresponds to a decrease in religious participation and a rise in secularism in general,” said Pugliese, the associate dean. “Why this is happening is greatly debated. There are a number of views of the nature and function and religion among religious studies scholars, and it seems that one’s theory of religion plays a significant role in how one explains decreased religious participation. Others offer psychological explanations, arguing that the basic human needs that religion has historically met are increasingly being met in other ways.”
He noted that some think that increases in pluralism and diversity have influenced the shift to a more cultural view of Christmas, while others point to demographic factors such as non-traditional families and “mixed marriages,” in which spouses come from different religious and ethnic backgrounds, prompting them to move away from their religious roots.
We’ll be glad when it’s over
While 79.5 percent of Americans say they will celebrate Christmas in 2021, the joy of the season comes with stress. Nearly two-thirds of poll respondents, 64.9 percent, agree somewhat or strongly that while they enjoy Christmas, they are usually glad when it is over. The represents an increase from 62.4 percent in 2019 and 62 percent in 2017 polling by Saint Leo University.
The percentages were determined by presenting those poll respondents who celebrate Christmas with the test statement: “I enjoy Christmas, but am usually glad when it is over.” The following table displays levels of agreement or disagreement recorded during 2021, 2019, and 2017.
| Agreement | National 2017 – % | Florida 2017 – % | National 2019 – % | Florida 2019 – % | National 2021 – % | Florida 2021 – % |
| Strongly agree | 21.0 | 21.9 | 23.5 | 19.3 | 27.2 | 28.8 |
| Somewhat agree | 41.0 | 38.8 | 38.9 | 37.2 | 37.7 | 30.7 |
| Total strongly & somewhat agree | 62.0 | 60.7 | 62.4 | 56.5 | 64.9 | 59.5 |
| Somewhat disagree | 22.9 | 21.0 | 21.0 | 26.2 | 18.9 | 21.0 |
| Strongly disagree | 12.8 | 16.2 | 14.8 | 14.8 | 13.5 | 17.6 |
| Total strongly & somewhat disagree | 35.7 | 37.2 | 35.8 | 41.0 | 32.4 | 38.6 |
Dr. Christopher Wolfe, associate professor of psychology for Saint Leo University, said the Holmes-Rahe Stress Inventory, which was created in the 1960s to rank common life events that cause stress, can be applied to explain the polling results. “They ranked the list of stressful events from most [stressful] to least and theorized that individuals who marked more or higher items would experience the greatest disruptions or difficulties in life,” Wolfe said.
“The highest level on this list was the death of a spouse. Toward the bottom, amid a mixture of social and familial dramas, sits Christmas. That’s right—on a list compiled to represent the most stressful events in the average life and out of all the nasty things from flat tires to waiting in long lines, sits what has been called ‘the happiest day of the year.’ Happy, hopefully, and stressful, definitely.”
Wolfe said one of the reasons people may feel relief when Christmas ends is the disappearance of “anticipatory stress.”
“So much of the stress around Christmas is the build-up,” Wolfe said. “‘What will it be like going home?’ ‘Will they like the present I got them?’ ‘Will I burn the dinner?’ ‘Will I get stuck talking to that family member I can’t stand?’ We can spend months of mental energy worrying about all the possible outcomes. This activates our basic stress system—the system for fight or flight. Our bodies seek to prepare for these eventualities as soon as our minds begin to think about them. The preparation amps up our responses as we feel uneasy and unsettled by the running thoughts and fears leading up to the day.”
Pro tip for dealing with the stress
Wolfe offered some advice on dealing with the tension. “Tell yourself that much of this is ‘all in your head,’” he said. “One of the reasons humans demonstrate the ability to worry about things that may or may not happen is that we can and we choose to do it. Taking a moment to say to yourself, ‘it might happen, but I can handle it’ or ‘it might happen, but here’s how I plan to deal with it’ to help to lower the stress response and generally feel better.”
METHODOLOGY: This national survey was conducted from October 17, 2021, through October 23, 2021, among a base of 1,000 respondents nationally, using an online instrument. The national sample has an associated margin of error of +/- 3.0 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence for questions asked of all 1,000 respondents.
The statewide survey was also conducted during the same time period, among a base of 500 respondents, using an online instrument. The sample has an associated margin of error of +/- 4.5 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence for questions asked of all 500 respondents.
The Saint Leo University Polling Institute conducts its surveys using cutting-edge online methodology, which is rapidly transforming the field of survey research. The sample is drawn from large online panels, which allow for random selections that reflect accurate cross sections of all demographic groups. Online methodology has the additional advantage of allowing participants to respond to the survey at a time, place, and speed that is convenient to them, which may result in more thoughtful answers. The Saint Leo University Polling Institute develops the questionnaires, administers the surveys, and conducts analysis of the results. Panel participants typically receive a token incentive—usually $1 deposited into an iTunes or Amazon account—for their participation.
The Saint Leo University Polling Institute survey results about national and Florida politics, public policy issues, Pope Francis’ popularity, and other topics, can also be found here: http://polls.saintleo.edu. You can also follow the institute on Twitter @saintleopolls.
Media contacts:
Mary McCoy, Saint Leo University, University Writer & Media Relations, mary.mccoy02@saintleo.edu, (352) 588-7118 or cell (813) 610-8416.
Jo-Ann Johnston, Saint Leo University, University Communications jo-ann.johnston@saintleo.edu or (352) 588-8237 or (352) 467-0843 (cell/text).
About Saint Leo University
Saint Leo University is one of the largest Catholic universities in the nation, offering 57 undergraduate and graduate-level degree programs to more than 18,200 students each year. Founded in 1889 by Benedictine monks, the private, nonprofit university is known for providing a values-based education to learners of all backgrounds and ages in the liberal arts tradition. Saint Leo is regionally accredited and offers a residential campus in the Tampa Bay region of Florida, 16 education centers in five states, and an online program for students anywhere. The university is home to more than 98,000 alumni. Learn more at saintleo.edu.